Hand brake



v P" B-fAMP Er AL HAND BRAKE Feb.1 26,1946.

Filed April, 8' 1943 Feb. 26, 1946. P, B, CAMP ETAL 2,395,779-

HAND BRAKE Filed April-8^, 1,943 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 BY'M Patented Feb. 26, 1946 HAND BRAKE Percy B. Camp, Maywood, and Herbert E. Bartsch, Chicago, Ill., ass'ignors to Universal Railway 4-Devices Company, a "corporation-of Bela-ware Application `April `8, 1943, Serial No. 482,272.

(Cl. i4-432) 9 Claims.

This invention relates to ,brakes for railway cars, and more .particularly to :brake shafts and to the method of manufacturing same.'`

Cine of the objects vof the vinvention is the provision v.of -a new and improved brake operating shaft that is fabricated from a plurality of parts so arranged as to ygreatly reduce the cost of production without Ydecreasing the margin .of safety.

.Another object of the invention is the provision of anew and improved brake shaft assemrOther and further objects and advantages of.

the invention will appear .from the following description, taken in connection with the iaccompanying drawings in which y Fig. 1 is .a side elevation of a portion of the end of a car lwith a brake in position thereon, and parts broken away;

Fig. 2 is a modified form of combined shaft, pinion and ratchet wheel assembly;

Fig. 3 is a sectionon the line 3 3 of Fig. 2';

Fig. 4 is an exploded view in vperspective of a brake shaft, pinion and ratchet wheel assembly showing a modified form of construction; and

Fig. 5 is .a longitudinal section of the form -of construction shown in Fig. 4 when the same is assembled.

In the manufacture -of railway equipment of various kinds, efforts are being made to reduceV the cost of production `without reducing the quality of the Yarticle or of the mechanism y.on which the article or equipment is employed.V

,It Vis common practiceto employ a cast steel brake shaft having integral therewith the brake drum operating pinion and ratchet wheel as a unitary structure, but this is .more 1er less-expensive and there is the ever present danger that the steel casting may have one for more blow holes that may not be detected until failure and a possible accident occurs. For, in applying a `hand brake on a freight car ythe brakeman must stand on a small platform attached to the end of the car, and in this position he must exert consider'- able force to turn the brake wheel `in applying the4 brakes. Any. sudden failure of the mechanism, therefore, is likely to throw him off 1balance and maycause .a serious accident.

The` present invention sseelrs` to remedy these difficulties bythe use of a drgp lforged -.brake shaft which increases `the margin of safety over a steel castingand the -use yof ta brake drum o perating pinion .and .ratchet wheel of `malleable.

casting, -which will materially reduce the cost-cf production. l f

Referring now to the drawings, the reference.

character `Ill designates 4the vend of arailway-car to which is rigidly ksecu-red .the brake housing -ll within which the .brake operating mechanism, designated generally by .the reference vnumeral l2, is secured. This mechanism is shown in detail fn l.our Patent No. 2,318,569 issuedMay 4, 19.43, for Hand brake, and of which `.this is .acontinuation in part. v

.Since .a disclosure of .the details-.of the brake operating mechanism is -not necessary to .an iin-f derstanding -of :the invention, it is not thought necessary to ,illustrate describe lthe-same fur-ther than -to state that this mechanism-com prises .a Vbrake -`shaft I3, a squared tapered p0rtion Mon which the Ybrake lwheel i5 is secured, as bymeans 4o f :a nut {Sonthe threadedend :Il of the .brake shaft I3. inwardly of `thejbrake wheel .I5 is a journal portion t8 which :engages a bearing unsecured in the outer wall of the housing. On the -.central portion of the brake shaft I3 is an enlarged `lsquared portion 21,:and inwardly of the .latter .is a reduced cylindrical portion .22. The shaft :t3 thus far Ydescribedwa unitary structure, .and since, Vin -windi-ng np the brake chain 2,0, considerable force must be Lap plied by the lbrakeman, ,it is necessary., `in `.arder to avoid accidents, that .the -brake shaft :I3 `alle' rugged, with no danger of fracture Aduring the application iof :the brakes. For `that reasonthe shaft `,is forged, thereby ravoid-ing danger :of .hidden weaknesses, Aas would vbe ,possible were the shaftof cast steel. f

Mounted on the inner end of thefshaft Ms ia combined ratchet wheel 23 and ,pinion 24. This pinionis adapted Vto engage :the brake 4.drum gear 25 -for rotating -the .-brakedrumin the usual manner. The ratchet r.wheel .213 is .adapted itc n be engaged Yby a fpawl 26, which prevents backratchet -Wheel r23 is provided lwith an :axial fopen@ ying 30, which is enlarged at its outer Eend Iand squared to conform to the shape of the squared portion 2i on the shaft I3.

The inner end of the combined ratchet and pinion is extended inwardly beyond the teeth of the pinion to form a mask 2l for the teeth', and this mask constitutes a journal for the brake shaft assembly. It is journaled in a bearing 28 formed in the inner4 wall of the brake casing, as shown in Fig. 1 of. the drawings. In order to hold the pinion and ratchet wheel in position on the brake shaft I3, the inner end of the opening 30 is flared or beveled, as at 49, and the end 22 of the brake shaft is peened over or upset to engage the tapered wall of the mask 2l, as shown in Fig. 1, to thereby hold th'e parts firmly on the shaft I3.

The combined pinion and ratchet structure is a malleable casting. By making this portion of the assembly a malleable casting and separate from the shaft, the cost of production of the unit is materially reduced Without reducing the marginlof safety, so far as the h'azard to the operator is concerned. It will be appreciated that even though a tooth or ratchet fail on the operating mechanism, the operator will still have the wheel I in his grasp, so that there is not so much danger of his falling from the platform; whereas, if the shaft I3 should break off between the wheel and the casing during the application of the brake, the chances are very great that the operator would fall'from the car `and a serious accident would probably result. The likelihood of failure of the malleable casting, however, is Very remote. Y Y

lThe constructionshown in Figs. 2` and 3 differs principally from that shown in Fig. 1 in that the brake drum operating pinion is integral with th'e shaft'. In this form of construction the shaft I3 is provided with what may be termed teeth 29, each of which' is arranged substantially radial on its forwardA side, as at 3l, and more or less inclined, as at 32, on itsv opposite side. These teeth are vadapted-to engage corresponding recesses in a ratchet wheel 33, as shownV more clearly in Fig. 2.VV The ratchet wheel 33 engages the shaft I3a andteeth 29 by a press t, and th'e ratchet wheel isprovided on its outer hub portion with reinforcing ribs 34 which extend around said recesses, asshown more clearly in Fig. 3. The shaft I3a is provided-adjacent its inner end with a pinion 35',- and `inwardly of the pinion is the journal 36. In this form of construction the teeth' 29, pinion 35, and journal 36 are all integral and are drop forged. The ratchet wheel 33 is a malleable casting,as in the previous construction.

In Figs. 4 and 5 is shown a modified form of construction, which, however, is the preferred form and is very similar to that shown in Fig. 1. It comprises a sh'aft I3b having a tapered squared portion38 on which the brake wheel I5 is adapted to engage, as in Fig. 1, and the outer end of the shaftislscrew-threaded, as at 39, for receiving a nut forholding the brake wheel in position on the' squared portion 38. The shaft is provided with a'journa14l inwardly of the squared portion 3B, and inwardly of the journal 4I is a collar or shoulder member 42 ;l and inwardly of the shoulder 42 is an enlarged, substantially rectangular, portion 43, having the corners 44 iiattened, as shown in Fig. 4. The shaft extends inwardly beyond th'e rectangular portion 43 and is cylindrical, as shown at 45. The shaft I3", together with the journal consrtuctionl are adapted to be drop forged, as in theprevious Adapted to be mounted on the shaft :ab is a ratchet wheel 46, a pinion 41, and a journal 48.,

The ratchet wheel 46, pinion 47, and journal 48 are a unitary construction having an axial opening 50. This unit is a malleable casting. The outer face of the ratchet wheel 46 is provided with adeep recess 49, which is substantially rectangular in form having the corners 5I which correspond to the corners of the rectangular mem.. ber 43 and are adapted to receive the same. Substantially midway between the sides of the rectangular opening 49 are semi-circular cut-cut portions 52 in th'ree of these sides, and these cutout portions are provided to relieve the stresses due to the cooling after the casting operation. On the fourth side the cut-out portion 53 is of a different form, and is not of sufficient depth to permit the parts to be assembled in any but the proper manner. In other words, the corners 44 cannot be made to engage in the recesses 52 and 53, but will engage only in the corners 5I of the recess 49. This arrangement insures the correct assembly of the parts.

The inner end of the opening 50 is counterbored, as at 55, and provided with tapering walls 59 so that when the parts are assembled the end 45 of the shaft I3b maybe swaged, as at 5T, for holding the parts in assembled relation.

It will thus be seen that in all forms of the device the brake shaft assembly is composed of two parts, and that the shaft constituting one of those parts is an essential and important element of the brake operating mechanism, and is forged; while the ratchet wheel, or ratchet wheel and pinion, which constitutes the other part of the assembly, is a malleable casting. The cost of forging theshaft, pinion and ratchet wheel as a unitary structure would be prohibitive, but by employing a malleable casting on a forged shaft a strong and rugged assembly is produced at a saving in the'cost of Vwork and material.

An important feature of the described em-Y bodiments of our invention "is the provision of certain safeguards against inoperativeness that might arise from separation of the interlocked parts. It is to be borne in mind that a brake mechanism of the character described on a railway car is intended to serve for years without special attention, and should be proof against structural failure. v

In all of the described formsof the invention a hollow body having a portion shaped to provide ratchet teeth embraces va shaftY to movev the opposite direction while the hollow body is stationary Y The prevention of relative rotation between the hollow body and the shaft is accomplished preferably in the manner described, that is, by giving the hollow body a non-circular interior configuration to t' over arcomplementary' noncircular portion of the shaft. Obviously, however, other expedients maybe employed to prevent relative rotation.

assume In all 'three of 'the described `forms of the in` vention means separate and :apart from the '.hollow body and shaft yserve 'as vobstacles to prevent relative `axial movement between the hollow bodyf and 'the shaft in `the opposite relative direction. Thus, lin Fig. 'l the housing creasing for the brake mechanism provides in eiect thrust bearings, one of which rotatably embraces the shaft, the `other thrust bearing rotatably embracing the hollow body. The casing, therefore, serves to prevent both axial movement of the shaft away from the hollow body and axial movement of the hollow body away from the shaft, both of these movements being regarded as in the same relative direction.

In Fig. 1 the peening or swaging 4D at the end of the shaft is the normal means for preventing the axial movement of the shaft and the hollow body in the above-mentioned opposite relative direction. The inherent safety feature resides in the fact that in the event such peening or equivalent expedient fails to prevent separation of the two parts the casing itself will serve as positive means to prevent such degree of separation as to make the brake mechanism inoperative.

The third embodiment shown in Figs. 4 and 5 is closely similar to the first embodiment with respect to the inter-relation of the parts. The second form of the invention shown in Figs. 2 and 3, however, is somewhat different in construction but, nevertheless, provides the same inherent feature since the right-hand bearing for the shaft would prevent axial movement of the shaft away from the hollow body, while, on the other hand, the brake drum gear 25 (Fig. 1) lies in the path of the hollow body of Fig. 2 to serve as an obstacle limiting axial movement of the hollow body out of engagement with the shaft.

It is thought from the foregoing, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, that the operation and construction of our device will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and that changes in size, shape, proportion and details may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the appended claims.

We claim as our invention:

1. In a railway brake having a casing and brake operating mechanism within said casing, a brake shaft assembly comprising a shaft journaled within said casing and having an enlarged angular portion within said casing, a combined pinion, journal and ratchet wheel telescoped on said shaft and having a recess for receiving said angular enlargement for causing the combined pinion, journal and ratchet wheel to rotate with said shaft, the inner end of said shaft being swaged to lock the combined pinion, journal and ratchet wheel on the shaft.

2. In a railway brake of the character described, a brake shaft assembly comprising a shaft having a longitudinally tapered non-circular portion, a one-piece hollow body forming a combined pinion and ratchet wheel, the hollow interior of said being-of longitudinally ita-j pering non-.circular :conguration complemem. taryt'o said portion of the .shaft to prevent 11o-1 tation ofthe body relative to the shaft :and being rigidly interlocked in a taper .fit with said portion to prevent in :a positivemanner 4movement; between the hollow :body `and .the .shaft vin Ione relative' direction, .and rmeans interlocking the` hollow body and shaft against Amovement in the opposite .relative direction.

TS. In .a brake operating mechanism, .a brake shaft having' a journal portion, a ratchet wheel rotatable with said shaftand a combined!pinion' and journal-to rotate with said shaft, vmeans for causing said lpinion and vrmrn'al to 'rotate with said shaft, means interlocking said shaft tand: combined pinion and journal 5to .prevent movement therebetween in one 'relative directiomand a casing Vrotatably supporting said ktwo journals and providing obstacles to movement of said shaft and combined pinion and journal in the opposite relative direction.

4. In a railway brake of the character described, a brake shaft and body embracing said shaft to constitute therewith a shaft assembly,

l said body having a portion forming ratchet teeth,

said body and shaft having non-circular portions in mutual engagement to cause the body to rotate with the shaft, shoulders on said body and shaft, respectively, cooperating in abutment to prevent axial movement therebetween in one relative direction, said body and shaft having parts, respectively, in mutual engagement to resist axial movement therebetween in the opposite relative direction, and means apart from said shaft assembly providing obstacles in the path of said body and in the path of said shaft, respectively, to limit axial movement therebetween in said opposite relative direction in the event said mutual engagement of the parts fails.

5. In a railway brake of the character described, a brake shaft having a tapered non-circular enlargement, a body embracing said shaft to constitute therewith a shaft assembly, said body having a tapered non-circular recess for engagement by said enlargement to cause the body to rotate with the shaft and to prevent movement between the shaft and the body in one relative direction, said body having a portion forming ratchet teeth, and means interlocking said body and shaft against axial movement therebetween in the opposite relative direction.

6. In a railway brake of the character described, a brake shaft, an integral pinion and ratchet unit embracing said shaft to constitute therewith a shaft assembly, said unit and shaft being interlocked by non-circular parts integral therewith to cause the unit to rotate with the shaft, shoulders on said unit and shaft, respectively, in abutment to prevent axial movement therebetween in one relative direction, and means rotatably supporting said shaft assembly, said supporting means having portions positionedas obstacles in the paths of relative movement of said unit and said shaft, respectively, to limit axial movement -therebetween in the opposite relative direction.

7. In a railway brake of the character described, a brake shaft having a tapered non-circular enlargement, an integral pinion and ratchet unit mounted on said shaft to constitute therewith a shaft assembly, said unit having a tapered non-circular recess complementary to said enlargement and in engagement therewith both to cause rotation of the unit with the shaft and to preventaxial movement therebetween in one re1-V ative direction, means interlocking said shaft and unit against axial movement therebetween in the opposite relative direction, sand means rotatably supporting said shaft assembly, said supporting means having portions positioned as obstacles in the paths of relative movement of said unit and said shaft, respectively, to limit axial movement movement between the shaft and body in the opposite relative direction.

9. In a railway brake of the character described, a brake shaft having a journal portion, a body embracing said shaft to constitute therewith a shaft assembly, said body having a ratchet portion and a journal portion, shoulders on said body and shaft, respectively, in mutual abutment to prevent axial movement between the shaft and body in one relative direction, means interlocking the shaft and body to prevent axial movement therebetween in the opposite relative direction, and means providing thrust bearings for said journal portions to rotatably support the shaft assembly and to limit axial movement between the shaft and body in said opposite direction in case of failure of said interlocking means.

PERCY B. CAMP. HERBERT E. BARTSCH. 

